It's A Girl
by Debi
Summary: A response to the "After Marriage" challenge at RR. Jake gets pregnant.


Title:It's a girl!  
Author:Debi   
Email:IanFan9@aol.com  
Feedback:Pretty please?  
Rating:PG  
Category:Jake and Hamilton  
Disclaimer:Don't own them (wish I did)  
Summary:A response to the "After Marriage" challenge posted by Anonymous.   
Thanks:To Anonymous for the challenge, Ev for her feedback and my son for giving me such a hard time when I was pregnant.   
  
Challenge Requirements:Hamilton & Jake are already married. Jake gets pregnant with a daughter. Describe the 9 months when she is pregnant. Make up your own ending/twist on the story. Must end happily ever after.  
  
  
"Has it really been a year already?"  
  
Jake sat at her desk, lost in thought, completely ignoring the program she was supposed to be de-bugging. Her thoughts we focused on the picture that sat on her desk, her wedding picture. In less than a week it would be their first anniversary. Time had flown by. She couldn't help but smile as her thoughts wandered to their wedding. It had been more perfect than she could have ever dreamed of as a little girl. They had gotten married in the most logical and romantic place of all, Rawley Academy, where it all began.   
  
She remembered every detail of the night Hamilton had proposed. He took her to the restaurant where they went on their very first date. They had scallops for dinner and marveled at how they had managed to get through that date without killing each other. After dinner, Hamilton surprised her by taking her back to Rawley. At first she thought they were going to visit his parents, but instead of turning towards the Dean's residence, he headed for the dorms. They hadn't been in the dorms in years. Sure, they had been back to visit his mom and dad during their breaks from college, but they hadn't been in the dorms since graduation day.   
  
"Hamilton, what are we doing here" she had asked as they entered the Common room.  
  
"Shh, just wait one minute" he said as he lead her to the bookcases they had spent so much time hiding behind when everyone thought she was a boy.  
  
When they got there, he pulled out a small velvet box and said "Jacqueline Pratt, I love you more than anything and I can't think of a better way to spend the rest of my life than with you as my wife. Will you marry me?"  
  
She had cried and said yes through her tears. They kissed for long time behind those bookcases, reliving all the love and tenderness that had gotten them through the complicated years at Rawley and then college. They had both worked like mad and graduated a semester early. After graduation, Jake got a job with a software company and occasionally loaned her skills to Rawley Academy. Helping the school keep their databases safe from student hackers, she loved the irony of it. Hamilton had gotten a job with a newspaper as a photographer and did freelance work for her mother's actor friends who were constantly in need of new photos for their portfolios. He was steadily building himself an impressive resume and a solid reputation as a professional photographer. Dean Fleming even agreed to let Hamilton run a monthly Saturday workshop at Rawley for students interested in photography. It started out as a non-credit class on a trial basis, but Hamilton was proving himself to be a wonderful teacher. There was enough student interest that they had to add another Saturday to get everyone in.   
  
Everything was going better than she had ever dared to hope when Hamilton had proposed. Now it would be even better, she thought as they walked from the dorm to his parent's house to share the good news.  
  
His parents were ecstatic and his mom began asking "the wedding" questions immediately. It was Hamilton's idea to have the wedding on the Rawley grounds. Dean Fleming was a little unsure of using the school grounds to host a private event, but one sharp look from his wife and he immediately agreed that this would be the perfect place for their wedding. Their life together had started here; there marriage should start here as well. The wedding was beautiful, the ceremony was held on the lawn with the lake in the background. Bella was her maid of honor and Finn had served as best man. He was stunned when Hamilton asked him, but Hamilton pointed out that without Finn's help, Jake wouldn't have been able to stay at Rawley and their relationship would have gone in a much different direction. Finn thanked him for the honor and Will and Scout joined the wedding party as well. All in all, it was like living in a fairy tale for Jake.   
  
And now it was almost their first anniversary. Jake smiled again as she stared at the picture on her desk. Her gaze shifted to the desk calendar she had been idly doodling on during her daydream. As the dates took shape, she shot up in her chair almost knocking it out from under her. 'No way' she thought, staring at the calendar. She grabbed her purse and ran out of the office. She told Irene at the front desk that she had an emergency and needed to leave.  
  
Running to the first store she could find, she made her way quickly through the aisles until she found what she was looking for. She felt the blush in her cheeks as the teenage boy behind the counter rang up her purchase. She practically ran back to the apartment. Taking a moment to calm down, she read the instructions. Five minutes later she was staring at a plus sign.  
  
A plus sign, she was pregnant! "How did I miss this?" she thought. It wasn't until she looked at that desk calendar that she even realized she was late. She should have had her period more than a week ago. This explained how she had been feeling lately, but she had chalked it up to working too many late nights. No, she wasn't tired or overworked, she was pregnant! 'Pregnant,' she repeated over and over in her mind. Wow! She had to call Hamilton. Still a bit shell shocked, she picked up the phone.   
  
"Fleming"  
  
"Hi, Munchie"  
  
"One of these days...." he warned, still hating the nickname.  
  
"Um, can you come home?"  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Yes, now. Can you come home?"  
  
"Why, is something wrong?  
  
"No, but something important has come up and I don't want to wait until tonight to talk about it."  
  
"Well, if nothing's wrong, why don't you just tell me now?"  
  
"Not on the phone, how soon can you get here?"  
  
"Forty five minutes, I guess. Are you sure nothing's wrong? You sound kinda funny."  
  
"Promise, nothing is wrong. Just come home and I'll tell you all about it."  
  
"Okay....I'll see you in a bit."  
  
When she hung up, she searched for the perfect way to tell him. 'I know', she thought and grabbed her purse again. There was a gift shop at the corner and she found a small picture frame with "I Love My Daddy" written around the frame in childlike handwriting. Perfect she thought and headed back. She paced the living room until she heard his key in the lock.   
  
When he got through the door, she launched into his arms to hug him and then led him to the couch.  
  
"Would you please tell me what's going on now?" He pleaded with that adorable little puppy dog face.  
  
She put her hands into her pockets and brought them back out, fists closed, she held them in front of him.  
  
"Pick a hand."  
  
"What!?"   
  
"Pick a hand, come on, trust me."  
  
He sighed heavily and said "fine, this one" as he pointed to her left hand.  
  
Slowly, she uncurled her fingers to reveal the little picture frame. She glued her eyes to his face waiting for the reaction.  
  
He looked at the frame, then to her and back to the frame. She opened her other hand to reveal the pregnancy test. He looked from hand to hand.  
  
"Are you saying......?"  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
"Oh my god!" He jumped up to hug her "we're going to have a baby?"  
  
"Looks that way." She smiled as he lifted her and spun her around in celebration.  
  
"We're gonna have a baby!" he repeated, grinning from ear to ear.   
  
They called his parents and her mom to tell them they were going to be grandparents. His parents were thrilled, as was Monica, but she was unsettled by the term "grandmother" being used in reference to her. They both chuckled and shook their heads as she exclaimed, "I'm not old enough to be a grandmother!"  
  
They laid awake most of the night talking about all the new, exciting, and somewhat terrifying things that were ahead of them. Pregnancy, labor, a new baby, raising a child! There was so much to think about and do.   
  
Within two weeks Jake went from feeling "just a little queasy" to full fledged morning sickness that usually lasted all day. The doctor told her she was only six weeks pregnant, and she was sick already. Mornings were the worst, but the nausea never went away and throwing up every few hours was becoming common. At work, she spent as much time in the bathroom as she did at her desk. Hamilton had to fend for himself in the kitchen, as the smell of most foods was enough to send her running for the bathroom. Hamilton felt helpless, he couldn't make this go away for her and he hated it. Listening to her throw up every morning was starting to have a strange effect on him, too. He was feeling pretty queasy himself and on several occasions had thrown up as soon as he got to work.   
  
"Sympathy sickness" a coworker had laughed as Hamilton came out of the bathroom, having thrown up three times this week already. "I've got four kids, my wife was sick with all of them. I threw up every day just from listening to her! It gets better though, hang in there." He patted Hamilton on the back and smiled.  
  
Weeks passed and Jake's nausea was not letting up, if anything it was getting worse. She didn't keep anything down anymore. All food or drink was temporary. Even sleeping was difficult from the nausea she felt all the time. Hamilton did everything he could think of to make her feel better, even giving her a massage every night. She adored him for the effort, but this was going to be a very long nine months.  
  
By her fifth month going to work was becoming an exercise in futility. The she was spending most of the day in the bathroom and the smell of coffee or strong perfume would send her running. She thought about quitting and decided to talk to her boss. He wasn't about to lose one of his most talented employees, so he offered to let her work from home. They would send her new program disks by messenger and she could work on them as the baby allowed. Jake was relieved, she didn't like the idea of quitting her job and was grateful for his understanding.   
  
Hamilton, however, was more concerned about her health than her job. At her last doctors appointment he paid close attention to the scale when the nurse weighed her. By his estimate, Jake had lost about 13 pounds and still couldn't keep much of anything down. Her next appointment was in a week. He should have been excited about the ultrasound they were going to do, but he was more concerned about Jake.  
  
"Jacqueline and the baby are fine" the doctor assured Hamilton. "Obviously, this is not the most fun way to spend nine months, but her lab work is fine and the baby is developing normally. We're watching her closely and if there's any change, we'll act on it right away. The ultrasound is next, the technician will be here in a minute. Do you want to know the baby's sex?"  
  
"Yes" they answered in unison. Their eyes were wide with wonder and amazement as they watched the monitor and saw the tiny little figure moving around.  
  
"It's looks like you've got yourself a little girl" the technician announced.  
  
"A girl" Hamilton repeated as he kissed Jake.  
  
That night they cuddled in bed discussing baby names.  
  
"Nothing weird." Hamilton was adamant, "my child is not going to get picked on because of her name. No way." He shook his head trying to rid himself of all the teasing he had taken over his own name. His mother's maiden name was Hamilton and for some reason she thought it would make a great name for her son. He begged to differ with her for many years now.  
  
"If I had gone to a regular school, I would have been picked on even more. Luckily, at Rawley, there was always some other poor kid whose parents had a rotten sense of humor, too."  
  
They both laughed and said "Scout!"  
  
Jake thought for a moment and asked, "how about Katherine?"   
  
"K a t h e r i n e, " he said slowly. "I like it, perfectly normal with plenty of options! Besides, my mother will love it."  
  
"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, if her first name is the same as your mothers, then her middle name better be Monica or I'll never hear the end of it!"   
  
"Katherine Monica. I like it and her grandmothers will love it." Jake looked at Hamilton, the smile on his face was a mile wide! 'He's going to be such a wonderful father,' she thought to herself.  
  
More weeks passed and Jake started to show. Hamilton would to sit next to her and rub her growing stomach. Every night he would talk to the baby and tell her stories, little Katherine would give tiny kicks in response. Jake loved that Hamilton was so excited and involved in every step of the pregnancy. Having grown up without a father, this was new to her and every minute was precious. Her daughter was one very lucky, little lady - daddy adored her already. Together they shopped for baby furniture and little, pink clothes. Hamilton picked out tiny baby shoes and hats to match every outfit. It was so much fun to shop with him; he got excited about everything! Boxes arrived from New Rawley and London loaded with baby things. Both of her grandmothers were having fun shopping, as well. Before long little Katherine's room was filled with stuffed animals, baby clothes, blankets, and toys. Everything was set for her arrival. Jake and Hamilton took Lamaze classes and marked off the remaining days on the calendar.  
  
It was 3:15 in the morning, on the day before her due date and Jake was lying awake in bed. She hadn't been able to sleep lately, but Hamilton was snoring quietly next to her. She felt a strange sensation in her side and jumped up out of bed.   
  
"What is it?" Hamilton asked, bolting upright in bed.  
  
"I thought my water broke, but now there's no water and something feels strange."  
  
"What do you mean, strange?"   
  
"I felt something pull and then 'pop', but now nothing. Just a funny feeling in my side."  
  
"I'll call the doctor, you lay back down and rest." Hamilton reached for the phone.  
  
A few minutes later, Hamilton told Jake to get dressed. They were meeting the doctor at the hospital. On the way, Hamilton kept looking at Jake, asking over and over if she was ok.  
  
"I feel ok, I mean, there's no pain or contractions. Just this weird sensation I can't quite describe. Something's happening, I'm just not sure what." Jake's answer did nothing to help calm Hamilton's nerves.  
  
At the hospital, Hamilton began quizzing the nurse before she could even finish the admission papers. He was worried something was wrong and needed some reassurance that things were fine. She told him he would have to wait to talk to the doctor.  
  
The doctor arrived to examine Jake. When she was done, she smiled at Hamilton and told him to relax.   
  
"Jake's water definitely broke, but it broke up high, that's why there was no gush of water. Since she's not in active labor yet, we're going to induce her. Your daughter will be here in 24 hours or less."  
  
Hamilton couldn't help but smile at the last part. His daughter would be born in the next 24 hours. He was finally going to see his baby girl! He called his parents and Jake's mom to tell them the news. His parents told him they were leaving immediately and would be there soon. Kate was positively beaming on her end of the phone! Monica was delighted and said she would call back with her travel information as soon as she booked a flight home.  
  
Seventeen long hours later, Hamilton stood by Jake's side as Katherine Monica Fleming was born. She was tiny and beautiful with dark hair and blue eyes. When she was cleaned and ready, Hamilton introduced his daughter to her grandparents. Kate Fleming cried as her son walked out with her granddaughter. Her little baby had a baby of his own!  
  
Later that night, after all the visitors had gone and the nurses had retreated, Hamilton sat next to Jake on the bed as they held their daughter. Hamilton turned to kiss Jake.  
  
"Thank you," Hamilton whispered.  
  
"For what?  
  
"Kissing me on the roof."  
  
"What?" Jake laughed quietly.  
  
"If you hadn't kissed me on the roof that day, my life would have never been this wonderful. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too"  



End file.
